Advanced mobile broadband services are now available to public safety personnel by way of private and public safety (PS) long term evolution (LTE) networks and LTE enabled user equipment (UE). For example, the Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) introduced multimedia broadcast/multicast services (MBMS) as part of LTE in Release 9 and has continued to support this functionality in subsequent releases, such as Release 10 (LTE-Advanced). It is contemplated that future releases of LTE also will support this functionality (LTE-Beyond). Moreover, MBMS is positioned to be an important component of the nationwide public safety broadband network being created in the United States called FirstNet Nationwide Network. MBMS is a point-to-multipoint interface which is capable of delivering multicast and broadcast services within a specific cell, or across multiple cells, by way of a single-frequency network configuration. MBMS does not provide content services by itself, but instead various applications can use MBMS' bearer capabilities to create user services.
According to 3GPP TS 22.246, there are four types of MBMS user services available to enable public safety applications; streaming services, file download services, carousel services and television services. The first MBMS user service, streaming services provides a continuous data flow providing a stream of continuous media (e.g., audio and video) which the specification defines as a basic MBMS user service. In addition, supplementary information of text and/or still images (static media) can be delivered along with an audio/video stream. For example, supplementary information such as a uniform resource locator can be included in the text or embedded in a still image, thereby allowing the user to optionally access the content over the Internet. Another example of supplementary information provided in streaming services is the use of static still images as banner images that advertise some product or service. In either example, the static media needs to be synchronized and displayed with the audio/video streams.
The second user service enabled by MBMS, file download services includes delivering binary data (e.g., file data) over an MBMS bearer. Such a user service enables a MBMS-enabled user equipment to activate an appropriate application in response to receiving the delivered binary data. File download services are required to be reliable, such that the user equipment must receive all the sent data in the proper order to experience this user service.
The third MBMS user service is carousel service which combines aspects of both streaming and file download services as described above. Similar to the streaming service, this service includes time synchronization. However, the target media of this service is only static media (e.g., text and/or still images). Time synchronization with other media also is required. For example, text objects are delivered and updated from time to time. Still images also may be collated to display low frame-rate video. Like the file download service, this user service also provides reliability however, typically 100% reliability is not always necessary. One of the benefits of carousel services is that it is can be provided over a low bit-rate bearer.
A fourth MBMS user service is television service consisting of synchronized streaming audio and visual components. Ideally, given LTE bandwidth constraints, television service will support short-duration broadcast streams, such as short television network headline news briefings.
It is envisioned that providing MBMS user service to private or public safety LTE networks such as FirstNet can enhance various public safety broadcast alerts such as: an America's missing broadcasting emergency response (AMBER) alert, a child abduction emergency (CAE) alert, a child is missing (ACIM) alert, and a Silver Alert (e.g., public notification of missing seniors, typically with Alzheimer's Disease, dementia, or other mental disabilities). Other public safety applications which can be enhanced by MBMS user service include providing real-time or near real-time data pertaining to various law enforcement search and investigatory activities. For example, a be-on-the-lookout (BOLO) broadcast could be enhanced to provide up-to-the-minute information to let all public safety personnel have the same operational view, whether they are on opposite sides of a building, or on the other side of town, in another county, or across state lines. In other words, providing public safety personnel with the same street-level data could result in the more expeditious apprehension of criminals. It also could help avoid the possible waste of law enforcement resources in the event that the individual(s) subject to the BOLO are already in custody.
Although it is envisioned that private and public safety (PS) LTE coverage will envelope most major metropolitan areas in world (as well as most major cities in the United States by way of FirstNet), it may not become ubiquitous. As such, not all LTE-enabled UE will maintain continuous private or PS LTE coverage (e.g., the user equipment may be operating in an out of service area, or the user equipment may be turned off at the end of the public safety employee's shift). Moreover, some public safety personnel may not have broadband devices that support MBMS. In other words, conventional broadband routing algorithms will not be sufficient to provide public safety personnel that missed a MBMS service broadcast with the relevant missed MBMS information. As such, up-to-the-minute information will not optionally be propagated to all public safety personnel by way of MBMS user services.
Accordingly, there is a need for an efficient method, apparatus and computer programs to that propagate public safety MBMS broadcast alerts and MBMS real-time, or near real-time, data pertaining to law enforcement search and investigatory activities to all public safety personnel regardless of whether the user missed the initial broadcast or whether the broadband public safety device is not MBMS capable.
Skilled artisans will appreciate that elements in the figures are illustrated for simplicity and clarity and have not necessarily been drawn to scale. For example, the dimensions of some of the elements in the figures may be exaggerated relative to other elements to help to improve understanding of embodiments of the present invention.
The apparatus and method components have been represented where appropriate by conventional symbols in the drawings, showing only those specific details that are pertinent to understanding the embodiments of the apparatus and methods described herein so as not to obscure the disclosure with details that will be readily apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art having the benefit of the description herein.